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Hear, hear. I despise Real so much - like MusicMatch Jukebox as well, I dislike their interface, and their "message center" thing drives me nuts. I'd even pick WMP over Real any day, but of course WinAmp is above all of them. Thank goodness for Real (and Quicktime for that matter) Alternatives. The only thing I like about QuickTime is the panoramas, but that's another rant.

Hear, hear. I despise Real so much - like MusicMatch Jukebox as well, I dislike their interface, and their "message center" thing drives me nuts. I'd even pick WMP over Real any day, but of course WinAmp is above all of them. Thank goodness for Real (and Quicktime for that matter) Alternatives. The only thing I like about QuickTime is the panoramas, but that's another rant.

It's a lot easier to say "Real Networks free" right here, and right now.
http://www.free-codecs.com/download/Real_Alternati ve.htm

Despite the fact that this article has little to nothing to do with the "slowness" of Windows loading/execution (which is, of course, debatable depending on the app in question), I'll indulge the M$ haters and throw this into the mix.

If you want faster Windows, use nLite. It's a beautiful tool that lets one take a Windows XP installation CD and make any number of modifications to it: remove unwanted components/drivers, preset Windows settings, slipstream hotfixes and service packs...even completely automate the installation process by presetting all installation information (license key, etc.). Then, it generates a brand spanking new ISO for you to burn and use for installation. It's glorious.

After nLite-ing my personal XP installation, I must say I have never been happier with Windows. I've left it running for weeks with no problems. A fresh installation of my nLited XP is just over 1 GB of HDD space (whereas the typical XP installation can top 3 GB). It could have been less, but not without removing several components that I wanted to keep.

Granted, this tweaking is not without its quirks. I do occasionally get a warning about "unrecognized file versions", but thus far ignoring them has not caused any problems. I would suggest the following though: I know it's tempting to remove IE right off the bat, but trust me when I say don't. It is needed for some very important functions (such as updates). Also, I would caution against removing Windows Media Player as well. Sure, you may never use it (hell, I never did), but if you remove it, it takes its codecs with it, which can cause other apps to not function properly (such as Winamp). I guess you never know what you have until it's gone. If you're bound and determined to remove it, then I highly recommend the ACE Mega Codecs Pack as a replacement.

Happy hacking!

And everyone has the Quicktime player on their PC. It's in the list of bog-standard things you do when installing e.g. Windows for someone

Err no. The bog standard thing I do is nuke the "Quicktime Nagware" and "Real Ad-Player" and install QuickTime Alternative and Real Alternative (from the same site).

I tend to prefer a big heaping plate of Media Player Classic, with a side order of Real Alternative and Quicktime Alternative.

I tend to prefer a big heaping plate of Media Player Classic, with a side order of Real Alternative and Quicktime Alternative.

While it lacks a little bit in user-friendliness with regard to setup, Exact Audio Copy (EAC) is by far my favorite ripping software. You just throw in a recent LAME dll and rip with ease. It also claims to handle burning, though I've never tried that feature. The best selling point of EAC is its slow but extremely reliable "secure copy" mode, which reads the disc "very carefully" (my words) in order to make absolutely sure there are no glitches. I can't remember the last time it made a bad mp3.

Minor sticking point, though, is that it doesn't seem to handle the Japanese stuff very well either ... "??????" it says :)

I stick to the old Winamp ml_ipod plugin for my iPod management, since my iPod can't do photos or video. I prefer it to iTunes partially because I prefer Winamp for my listening experience, and partially because it gives me more flexibility to define what to sync and other transfers.

Great concept, but user comments on that indicate that version 1.68 still crashes frequently.

No no! QuickTime Alternative is even better.

Doing these things on a standard WinXP installation is a daunting task for most people, myself included.

Aside from trying to be a PVR (which wasn't mentioned by the parent comment) the PC can do all of those things trivially either with software that came with it, or with the addition of one glomp of software: The Matroska Playback Pack:

Most of the hard work is being done by the great ffdshow decoder Filter based on FFMPEG and enabling playback of

• DivX 3/4/5
• XviD
• WMV7/8
• H.264 (MPEG4 AVC)

but the pack also adds playback support for

• Vorbis using FFDShow (for Ogg Vorbis audio files, install also the Ogg Splitter from Tobias Waldvogel)
• AAC and AAC+SBR (HE-AAC) audio, using FFDShow
• AC3 audio, using FFDShow
• FLAC lossless audio, using CoreFLAC
• Wavpack another lossless audio codec supporting hybrid mode (with + without loss)
• TTA another lossless audio codec
• Subtitles, using vsfilter (DVobSub)

You can also get realvideo support (why?) with the real alternative codec, and Quicktime with the quicktime alternative.

Doing these things on a standard WinXP installation is a daunting task for most people, myself included.

Aside from trying to be a PVR (which wasn't mentioned by the parent comment) the PC can do all of those things trivially either with software that came with it, or with the addition of one glomp of software: The Matroska Playback Pack:

Most of the hard work is being done by the great ffdshow decoder Filter based on FFMPEG and enabling playback of

• DivX 3/4/5
• XviD
• WMV7/8
• H.264 (MPEG4 AVC)

but the pack also adds playback support for

• Vorbis using FFDShow (for Ogg Vorbis audio files, install also the Ogg Splitter from Tobias Waldvogel)
• AAC and AAC+SBR (HE-AAC) audio, using FFDShow
• AC3 audio, using FFDShow
• FLAC lossless audio, using CoreFLAC
• Wavpack another lossless audio codec supporting hybrid mode (with + without loss)
• TTA another lossless audio codec
• Subtitles, using vsfilter (DVobSub)

You can also get realvideo support (why?) with the real alternative codec, and Quicktime with the quicktime alternative.

There is a free download for real player for Linux that works pretty good.

Download from mirror at this location:
http://www.free-codecs.com/download_soft.php?d=115 8&s=171

Here is an alternative , I just forgot a quote so the link didn't appear above.

Well, chances are, that's what's going to happen, but there's always hope.

Quicktime Alternative comes highly recommended. There simply is no reason to install the full blown Quicktime application in Windows.

There also exists Real Alternative.

Quicktime Alternative comes highly recommended. There simply is no reason to install the full blown Quicktime application in Windows.

There also exists Real Alternative.

I always preferred "The Kraken Wakes" by Wyndham, but this was well worth a listen. Anybody have a Streambox dump torrented yet? It'd keep their server from being slashdotted.

BTW, I've been told that there is a spyware-free version of RealOne player, although the stream seems to work with Real Alternative.

http://www.free-codecs.com/download/Real_Alternati ve.htm

Works fine with windows media player 6.4.

The original poster never mentioned anything about QuickTime Player. QuickTime is a format and can be played full screen by hundreds of free apps including iTunes.

I suppose you're right, there are projects like QuickTime Alternative that let you watch QuickTime files without Apple's player. They're not very well-known, though, so I fear that any increased popularity of the QuickTime format will only lead to increased use of QuickTime Player.

And then a whole generation will grow up thinking that full-screen video is a luxury feature to be paid for separately. Won't someone please think of the children? ;)

http://www.free-codecs.com/download/QuickTime_Alte rnative.htm

this worked for me http://www.free-codecs.com/download/QuickTime_Alte rnative.htm you can view your .mov's in windows media player classic.

(Note: Not all of these programs are open-source, but they are all free-as-in-beer)

Media Player Classic - while the VLC player is quite portable, I found it to be very slow on Windows. Media Player Classic is a fantastic replacement for Windows Media Player.

QuickTime Alternative and Real Alternative - codecs for Media Player Classic that will play QuickTime .mov and RealPlayer files.... no more need for crappy QuickTime player or RealOne!

WinAmp - still the greatest music player for Windows, IMHO. For those with iPods, you can download a plug-in call ml_ipod, which will allow you to synch your iPod with WinAmp... no more need for bloated iTunes!

Finally, AVG Antivirus, by far the best free antivirus product out there... easy to use, low memory resources.

(Note: Not all of these programs are open-source, but they are all free-as-in-beer)

Media Player Classic - while the VLC player is quite portable, I found it to be very slow on Windows. Media Player Classic is a fantastic replacement for Windows Media Player.

QuickTime Alternative and Real Alternative - codecs for Media Player Classic that will play QuickTime .mov and RealPlayer files.... no more need for crappy QuickTime player or RealOne!

WinAmp - still the greatest music player for Windows, IMHO. For those with iPods, you can download a plug-in call ml_ipod, which will allow you to synch your iPod with WinAmp... no more need for bloated iTunes!

Finally, AVG Antivirus, by far the best free antivirus product out there... easy to use, low memory resources.

1. Grab the URL from the bottom of the generate page
   
   • http://tones.wolfram.com/id/Ge0VOcDtDGMSHE1qTfMi 30N7BgRQF8HB4rsF1vv3MUZQOob
2. Take the ID from the end
   • Ge0VOcDtDGMSHE1qTfMi30N7BgRQF8HB4rsF1vv3MUZQOob
3. Append this to http://tones.wolfram.com/SMSMathematica/NKM/sound. jsp?id=
   • http://tones.wolfram.com/SMSMathematica/NKM/sound. jsp?id=Ge0VOcDtDGMSHE1qTfMi30N7BgRQF8HB4rsF1vv3MUZ QOob
4. Open it in your browser.
5. No shit (profit!)

Real Alternative
Media Player Connectivity (Firefox Plugin)

Enjoy :) And uninstall official Real Player first.

Try RealAlternative... all the rm goodness with none of to adware.

http://www.free-codecs.com/download/Real_Alternati ve.htm

You can get real player for Linux but I don't suggest installing it on Windows. Try instead: Real Alternative

When I looked at the system tray, it was filled with 15+ icons. [...] So I got rid of them all. I got tired of keeping track of what program was calling home.

Flash is just a plugin. If you use FireFox, it's no different than installing an extension. It fast, small, and doesn't load any icons into your task tray.

The other problems you had could have been solved quite easily: Media Player Classic.

Looks just like a stripped-down version of Windows Media Player 6.4 (before skins and bloat). It's a 4 meg executable file (2 meg download compressed). Nothing else--no DLL's, no subdirectories... nada. It runs super-fast (faster than VLC, in my experience, and WAY faster than Windows Media Player). It uses the absolute minimum of system resources. With it (and the proper codecs... yes, you have to install the proper codecs), you can view Flash, Real Media, Quicktime, DivX, XViD, Matroska (MKV), MPEG-1 or -2, MP3, and DVD's. If you have a TV Tuner card installed, you can even use it to watch television. 4 meg file.

Oh, and no icon in the task tray.

(If you want the QT and RM codecs without having to install the whole bloatful program, click on the links I provided above).

When I looked at the system tray, it was filled with 15+ icons. [...] So I got rid of them all. I got tired of keeping track of what program was calling home.

Flash is just a plugin. If you use FireFox, it's no different than installing an extension. It fast, small, and doesn't load any icons into your task tray.

The other problems you had could have been solved quite easily: Media Player Classic.

Looks just like a stripped-down version of Windows Media Player 6.4 (before skins and bloat). It's a 4 meg executable file (2 meg download compressed). Nothing else--no DLL's, no subdirectories... nada. It runs super-fast (faster than VLC, in my experience, and WAY faster than Windows Media Player). It uses the absolute minimum of system resources. With it (and the proper codecs... yes, you have to install the proper codecs), you can view Flash, Real Media, Quicktime, DivX, XViD, Matroska (MKV), MPEG-1 or -2, MP3, and DVD's. If you have a TV Tuner card installed, you can even use it to watch television. 4 meg file.

Oh, and no icon in the task tray.

(If you want the QT and RM codecs without having to install the whole bloatful program, click on the links I provided above).

You should check out PresentMovie. It's a shareware application that lets you play Quicktime and mpeg files full screen. If you're using windows you can use Qucktime Alternative which also supports full screen playback. Wow, I didn't know slashdot put the URL in brackets for you after links, I always thought people were just being considerate. Sorry for being a n00b, this is my first post.

Don't use RealPlayer, use Real Alternative.

install real alternative http://www.free-codecs.com/download/Real_Alternati ve.htm it's basically a codec that allows you to play realfiles in whatever (may i suggest media player classic, found here: http://sourceforge.net/projects/guliverkli/ , it's basically a souped up version of the ancient mplayer32. who needs all the shits'n'giggles of that mediaplayer10)

If you're running Windows, use Real Alternative, http://www.free-codecs.com/download/Real_Alternati ve.htm works great with Firefox

I've used Real Alternative, a Real Player codec quite successfully with BBC's internet offerings.

http://www.free-codecs.com/download/Real_Alternati ve.htm

Real Alternative Player.

http://www.free-codecs.com/download/Real_Alternati ve.htm

It's great.

Hope that helps.

AFAIK, no.

I forgot to mention that I was using QuickTime Alternative beta 1.

You do if you want to view it fullscreen as (Cr)Apple only let you watch fullscreen with iTunes installed. The link to the fullscreen movie begins with itms:// which is associated with iTunes. Sadly Apple are becoming the new MS, but because MS are still the old MS no-one is noticing.

If you can find direct links to download the movie it can be viewed in fullscreen, plus if you install Quicktime Alternative you can view the movie without using Apple's software.

BBC stuff is currently dual format realplayer and WMV.

Realplayer is scumware but there's a de-fanged version available from Here

The Quicktime codecs are available without the quicktime player from free-codecs and there is also a winamp plugin already written

The legal way to get those codecs is to download and install each official player+codec combo, and then use your choice of player to use the codec; even then their EULA may say you can't use the codec separate from THEIR player.

Howerver the best way to get the codecs -- but not technically legal way, because of software patent BS -- is to google for and download what's called a "codec pack". The best one for Windoze is called the "K-Lite Mega Codec Pack", which comes with Media Player Classic, BSPlayer, as well as almost every video/audio codec under the sun. For Linux, the best (and only?) codec pack available is the MPlayer essential codec pack, which is actually just an archive of windows .dll codecs, which MPlayer, VLC, and other players will fall back on if there is no open source alternative codec to use.

Actually, I believe I misspoke. Realmedia isn't supported by VLC, but RealAlternative is a good non-real player that's worked with every realmedia type I've used. It seems that the way it plays realmedia files (by using realmedia's own .dll files) is illegal, and with all the patent dodging VLC's had to do I believe they're trying at all cost trying not to step on any of the big players' toes. I don't have experience with wmv10 files specifically, but I do know that the windows version of VLC is the one with the best wmv compatibility, so that may be an issue.

What are you taling about? Use one of the snapshots. If you have an SSE-capable processor use these. Otherwise, use these.

I've been using it for all supported codecs with no problems at all on various machines.

I am using QuickTime ALternative v1.47 and the videos don't play in it. :(

The following should be able to help you:

http://www.free-codecs.com/download/Vorbis_Ogg_ACM .htm

Media Player Classic is the only player I use. It's open source, and you can play real media and quicktime files in it, along with pretty much everything else.

All you need to do is download Real Alternative and Quicktime Alternative (both of which includes Media Player Classic).

Media Player Classic will integrate with IE or Firefox if you want, so you can view content from within the webpage (but I hate this feature, so I leave it disabled)

If you use Windows, I strongly recommend you try it out, it's way better then Windows Media Player 9 or 10 with all the DRM crap. The reason it's called Media Player Classic is because it's based off of Windows Media Player 6, the last good release of WMPlayer from Microsoft.

Media Player Classic is the only player I use. It's open source, and you can play real media and quicktime files in it, along with pretty much everything else.

All you need to do is download Real Alternative and Quicktime Alternative (both of which includes Media Player Classic).

Media Player Classic will integrate with IE or Firefox if you want, so you can view content from within the webpage (but I hate this feature, so I leave it disabled)

If you use Windows, I strongly recommend you try it out, it's way better then Windows Media Player 9 or 10 with all the DRM crap. The reason it's called Media Player Classic is because it's based off of Windows Media Player 6, the last good release of WMPlayer from Microsoft.

Listen, if we didn't give you useless links, what would you spend your day reading?

Seriously though, how about linking to a less-annoying version of Quicktime?

You could always try the K-lite Mega Codec pack, which installs Quicktime Alternative, along with Real Alternative, and a host of useful codecs for viewing all the stuff you grap off of bittorrent.

http://www.free-codecs.com/download/K_Lite_Mega_Co dec_Pack.htm